What is Ube?
Ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines. It’s naturally bright purple color and sweet flavor make it a popular ingredient for desserts and drinks like bubble tea!
For this recipe, we add ube flavor in the form of ube flavoring/extract, which can be found at your local Asian supermarket or online. If you can find them, you may also use ube halaya or ube powder to flavor the drink.
Other Popular Names or Titles for Bubble Tea:
- Boba
- Bubble Tea
- Pearl Milk Tea
- Milk Tea
- Pearl Tea
- Tapioca Tea
How To Make Ube Matcha Bubble Tea
This drink contains two layers: the ube and the matcha. To make the ube milk, simply add ube extract to milk and mix. Now, make the matcha shot by combining matcha with water. Sift the matcha into a bowl with warm water, then using a chasen (bamboo whisk) or electric whisk, mix the matcha into the water.
Add cooked boba to a glass, followed by ice, then the ube milk. Finally, top the drink with the matcha shot.
Tip: to get perfect layers, Add the matcha shot to the drink by slowly pouring it over the back of a spoon.Recipe Tips
- To get pretty purple swirls on the inside of the glass, mix ube extract with sweetened condensed milk and drizzle it on the inside of the glass
- This recipe calls for coconut milk, but you can use any milk you prefer; dairy or non-dairy
- Sweeten this drink to taste with any sweetener you prefer - honey, agave, sugar – you can mix the sweetener into the matcha shot or the ube milk.
- We love how our Barista Edition Ceremonial Grade matcha tastes in this recipe, but you can substitute a different grade if you don’t have that one on-hand.
- This recipe yields about 2 drinks but can easily be doubled for a batch you can keep in the fridge
Ingredients
- ½ cup quick cook tapioca pearls
- 2 cups coconut milk, or other milk of choice
- 2 tsp ube extract/flavoring
- ½ cup warm water
- 4 grams Barista Ceremonial Matcha, sifted
- Sweetener, to taste
- Ice cubes
Directions
- Cook tapioca pearls according to package instructions
- Combine coconut milk and ube extract
- Add water to a bowl. Sift in the matcha and add sweetener, if desired. Combine using a chasen (bamboo whisk) or electric whisk.
- Assemble: add half of the boba pearls to a glass, followed by ice cubes. Pour half of ube milk over ice. Add half of matcha shot by pouring it over the back of a spoon slowly, to create defined layers. Repeat in another glass for second drink. Add a boba straw, sip, and enjoy!
- Optional- create purple streaks on the inside of the glass by combining ¼ teaspoon of ube extract with ¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk and drizzling it into the inside of the glass before assembling drink.
